Hundreds of COVID-19 test samples have been found dumped next to the N2 highway near Mdantsane in East London. eNCA reports that the used kits were discovered by a jogger – they were on their way from surrounding hospitals to a laboratory in Port Elizabeth but, the report says, it's not clear how or why they were disposed of.
The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) has now collected the remaining tests.
The jogger is quoted in eNCA as saying that he normally sees the tests when he watches the news. "When I saw them, I knew immediately that these were the sticks they use to test people for COVID-19. I didn't touch them.
"I shoved them away with my running shoes. I could open them up using my foot, and I saw that these were COVID-19 tests."
The Eastern Cape Health Department and the NHLS have launched investigations into the "shocking discovery", reports News24. NHLS area manager Tabita Makula said the NHLS business manager for the East London district visited the site, and collected the samples where it was dumped.
Makula said one of the samples had a label from Grey Hospital in King William's Town, which makes them believe the samples were captured at NHLS' Bhisho lab. Makula said there are two testing centres in the province – one in East London and another situated in Port Elizabeth. She confirmed the dumped samples were en route to the Port Elizabeth provincial testing centre.
Makula said: "Test samples are normally taken to Port Elizabeth centre when the East London centre does not have enough testing kits." Makula, however, could not confirm the figure, pending an investigation.
A courier company, commissioned to transport the samples, has been asked to file an incident report, said Makula. "Usually, in a case of hijacking or accident, the company reports to us. However, this time, there was no report. We will have full details once the investigation has been concluded," said Makula.
The test samples could have infected people with COVID-19, Eastern Cape Health Department superintendent-general Dr Thobile Mbengashe is quoted in News24 as saying. Mbengashe said the incident undermined the government's programme to fight the spread of coronavirus.
Mbengashe said the NHLS would be assessing the quality of the specimens, and those found damaged would be discarded and owners of those samples would be called to retest. NHLS area manager Tabita Makula said her office had managed to collect 80 specimens.
Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane accused the courier company of negligence. "We condemn what has happened and that is why we need seek to know exactly what happened. How did a courier company lose these? It's an element of negligence on the part of people hired to handle sensitive samples and names of people."
Mabuyane said: "This recklessness portrays the government as careless. It is not government. We will deal with this effectively. It humiliates the government."
According to a reporter on the scene, where many of the kits could still be seen strewn about the bushy area and lying in puddles of water, most of the samples were marked as having been taken on 23 June – the same day the jogger found them. The Times reports that further down the road, many more kits were allegedly found in a black plastic bag.
Eastern Cape Health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said the matter was now between the NHLS and the courier company it used to transport the kits, adding that the health department would continue to probe the unfortunate incident. He said the courier company, which both Kupelo and Makula declined to name, would have to provide answers.
Though Kupelo was not certain how many kits had been dumped, he said in the report that some of the samples were labelled as having come from Grey Provincial Hospital in King William’s Town, and others from Bhisho Provincial Hospital.
[link url="https://www.enca.com/news/hundreds-covid-19-tests-found-dumped"]Full eNCA report[/link]
[link url="https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/covid-19-test-samples-found-dumped-along-n2-in-eastern-cape-20200629"]Full News24 report[/link]
[link url="https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/covid-19-dangerous-dumping-of-tests-kits-on-n2-could-have-infected-people-health-dept-20200630"]Full News24 report[/link]
[link url="https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2020-06-29-courier-fingered-after-covid-19-test-kits-found-dumped-in-eastern-cape/"]Full report in The Times[/link]